Railway Budget 2015: Rlys aims operating ratio of 88.5% in 15-16, best in 9 yrs

The railways aims to improve the operating ratio to 88.5 percent during the next fiscal, the best in the last nine years, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said on Thursday.

The operating ratio, a key measure of efficiency, was at 91.8 percent in 2014-15 after touching a high of 93.6 percent in the previous financial year. The lower the operating ratio, the better is the profitability of an entity.

To get the most out of additional resources that will be invested, he said the ministry will need to ensure the highest standards of operational and business efficiency.

"I propose the operating ratio for 2015-16 at 88.5 percent as against a targeted operating ratio of 91.8 percent in 2014-15 and 93.6 percent in 2013-14. "I am pleased to state that not only will this be the best operating ratio in the last nine years but the best after the VIth Pay Commission," he said.

Prabhu added that the railways will not be able to deliver sustained improvement in operating efficiency unless changes are made to speed up decision making, tighten accountability, and improve management information systems.

"For our transformation journey to succeed, it will be very important to harness the talent of our employees through training and development," he said.

Further, he said the total receipts of railways have been revised to Rs 1,63,450.13 crore in 2014-15 and was proposed at Rs 1,88,556.70 crore for 2015-16.